Espanyol vs Barcelona Tips & Preview - Blaugrana to edge Catalan derby

By Tolu Shotade

42 seconds ago

Tolu Shotade 42 seconds ago

Share this article

Barcelona lead La Liga, entering the derby on a seven-match winning streak.
Espanyol are fifth, aiming for European places but struggling with consistency at home .
Historically, Barcelona dominate the head-to-head, winning seven of the last 12.

Espanyol vs Barcelona

The first Catalan derby of the season rings in the new year as leaders Barcelona travel to Espanyol for a Spanish La Liga fixture.

The champions have looked sharp lately and are aiming to strengthen their lead at the top of the table. They will be counting on their superior record against the hosts, who are also showing some good form at the moment.

Espanyol News

Espanyol are enjoying a solid campaign and are challenging for the European places, sitting fifth in the table. Manolo Gonzalez's team have won five of their last six matches, including a 2-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao in their previous fixture.

One issue for Espanyol is that they appear a little inconsistent at home, with three wins in their last five matches. They have been beaten twice on this run, falling 2-1 to Real Betis before a 2-0 defeat to Villarreal.

Goals are not a problem for Espanyol, who have scored in five of their last six matches, with four of those fixtures producing more second-half goals. However, they are without a clean sheet in five of their last seven home matches.

Barcelona News

Barcelona’s title defence has been smooth so far as they sit four points clear at the top of the table. They appear to have gone up a gear in recent weeks and are currently on a seven-match winning run across all competitions.

Hansi Flick's team have also impressed on their travels, winning four of their last five away matches across all competitions. They claimed a 2-0 victory at Villarreal last time out in La Liga, with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal getting the goals.

Barcelona are often sharp in attack and have scored in nine of their last 10 matches across all competitions, with three of the last four producing more second-half goals. However, they have failed to keep a clean sheet in five of their last six La Liga away matches.

Head to Head

Barcelona have seven wins and four draws, while Espanyol have picked up just one victory in the last 12 matches. The visitors did the double last season, winning 3-1 at home before a 2-0 away victory in the reverse fixture.

Verdict

Espanyol v Barcelona

Espanyol may be showing some good form lately, but seem to always struggle in this fixture. Barcelona boast the superior record and having also won their last even matches across all competitions, they are expected to claim the upper hand here.

Both teams have scored in five of their last six meetings, and a repeat is expected on Saturday. Given their penchant for leaving things late, this second half could be backed to produce more goals.

Barcelona

To Win

@-185.19 - 4 Units

25 SC no deposit & 250,000 GC

Use promo code NEWBONUS

Get 25 Stake Cash & 250,000 Gold Coins when you sign up with code NEWBONUS at Stake.us. USA only. Excludes certain States including NY,NV,ID, KY,WA. 18+ only. Terms and Conditions apply.

Bet at Stake.com

Yes

Both Teams to Score

@-185.19 - 4 Units

25 SC no deposit & 250,000 GC

Use promo code NEWBONUS

Get 25 Stake Cash & 250,000 Gold Coins when you sign up with code NEWBONUS at Stake.us. USA only. Excludes certain States including NY,NV,ID, KY,WA. 18+ only. Terms and Conditions apply.

Bet at Stake.com

Second Half

Highest Scoring Half

@103.00 - 2 Units

25 SC no deposit & 250,000 GC

Use promo code NEWBONUS

Get 25 Stake Cash & 250,000 Gold Coins when you sign up with code NEWBONUS at Stake.us. USA only. Excludes certain States including NY,NV,ID, KY,WA. 18+ only. Terms and Conditions apply.

Bet at Stake.com